Nice work! I may have to copy the ski pole idea.... I used two 8' long fiberglass fence poles - epoxied some copper pipe connectors with eye bolts on each end to connect to the sled and the pack. The rest of the sled is based on the ski pulk design. Pulls and skis great!

I have two pairs too many of used Silvretta 404s. Used, but in good shape. $150.00/pair plus shipping, or, make offers. Can also meet at Stevens Pass or in Mount Vernon.
Sizes "U" - XL and "K" - small
steepndeeppow at gmail dot com

Pair of well loved Silvretta 400 bindings - pulled off a pair of ski's too small for my kids. Sun faded and one screw has a bunged up head, but they still work great for approach skis.
Can supply copy of paper template for mounting
$50 plus shipping, or send me an offer..... can meet in Sedro Wooley, Oak Harbor or Stevens Pass if you don't want to ship.
steepndeeppow gmail dot com

Mtn Dew-
congrats on having such motivated daughters. My two kids (now 12 & 15) pretty much did the same thing for me, and you can do it.
After driving a desk, smoking, drinking (scotch), working too much, being over 200lbs, a couple of friends and my kids got me back into the fresh air 6 years ago. Moderated my diet, cut WAY back on smoking/drinking, and got active again. Now back to HS weight/pants size, done Rainier, Hood and quite a few other mtns. Hiked 15 miles out of the North Cascades on Sat, carrying 60+ lbs.
Remember, progress can often seem pretty slow, but it is well worth it!

IKEA
Blue bags
Just kidding - you can order them through many of the gear co's, REI, Mtn Gear, or just keep all the ones you never use from Whitney, Rainier, etc.... I've also heard of others making their own bags - double bag with a little kitty litter, but I'm not that brave.

XGK if you want bomber, bulletproof action. I love my new version one. Of course, my original whisperlite is still going after 20 years..... changed a few o-rings and replaced the pump once, but never an issue. I usually maintain them thoroughly once a year, and then double check them midseason. (course always carry a stripped down maint kit too) Both will require SOME maintenance, but should last a hell of a long time.

Hey Dan-
You can put a pair of alpine boots in the 404's and verify that the center mark on the boot is pretty close to the center mark on the ski.
I have a paper template for mounting 404s that I'll try to scan and post up if you want. I have mounted some using this template and had pretty good results. It may be too big for my scanner, but I'll see what I can do - or I'm in Mt. Vernon too....
Pretty much what I found is that climbing boots are tough to ski in, so it may have less to do with your mount than you think. Put my alpine boots in the 404's and I can ski them just fine. Spent several days in bounds with my climbing setup and figured out how to ski them better (but not great). I'll do that for a morning or two each season to remind myself.

These are priceless, well worth repeating! Thanks Rob!
to contribute to the thread drift - bladder was one of the best things I did for my climbing - constant hydration - even when in the head down suffer-through-the-approach mode. Too often before I would bust my ass for too long w/o stopping to drink 'cause bottles are a pain to get out of the pack.
blowing the water out of the tube helps a ton, and I found that I have had less freezing in the bladder (against my back, covered with insulation from stuff in the pack) than with a Nalgene put on top of the pack where it was easy to get to.

It has been some years, but there used to be a really durable, collapsable playpen that we took everywhere with us - camping, climbing, etc. Just spread a blanket over the top, and they get quite a bit of breeze through the sides. Also helps for those non-nap times as well when you are belaying.....